Seoul halts water-management support project in Cambodia
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The project aims to strengthen the resilience of communities in the Mekong River basin.
PHOTO: AFP
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BANGKOK – An international water resource management project in Cambodia has been temporarily suspended following a spate of violent crimes targeting South Koreans, according to a report released on Oct 19 by South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute (Stepi).
The project, a joint initiative between the United Nations Development Programme and the South Korean government, aims to strengthen the resilience of communities in the Mekong River basin, an area highly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. Participating countries include Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
In Cambodia, Stepi had launched a pilot scheme to develop a renewable energy-based model for water supply and management in collaboration with South Korean firms.
However, the institute said it had decided to postpone the official handover ceremony to the Cambodian government, originally planned for 2025. The Cambodian component will remain on hold, while related projects in other participating countries will continue as scheduled.
Tensions between South Korea and Cambodia have risen in recent months following a series of crimes targeting South Korean nationals, most notably the brutal killing of a South Korean university student who was tortured to death by an online scam ring
In response, the South Korean government has intensified diplomatic coordination, launched investigations, and dispatched special task forces to locate and rescue nationals believed to be detained by criminal networks.
On Oct 18, more than 60 South Koreans who had been held in Cambodia were repatriated to Seoul
